Black lime

[Bond Girl]

I found two at a food shop in San Francisco? They look like light colored nutmegs, but what are they? How are they used in cooking?

[Squeat Mungry]

I found two at a food shop in San Francisco?  They look like light colored nutmegs, but what are they?  How are they used in cooking?

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Hi, Bond Girl!

Which shop? I've heard of them, but never seen them. This is from Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages:

In the Gulf countries, ripe limes are boiled in salt water and sun-dried until their interior turns dark (“black lime”, often also incorrectly “black lemon”; ). The resulting spice is called loomi or lumi [لومي] in the countries of the Arab pensinsular; in Iran, it is known as amani or omani [عمانی], named after the main production country, Oman. Whatever called, these black limes are often used to impart a distinct citrus odour and a sour tang to legumes and meat dishes. The limes are either crushed or pierced with a skewer before usage, and then added to slow-simmering foods. Examples are machboos, an aromatic rice dish prepared in the Gulf states (see rose), and the Irani herb sauce ghorme (see fenugreek).

Did you buy them?

Cheers,

Squeat

PS Sorry I missed you when you were here!

[Bond Girl]

Next time Squeat, you and I must do sme lunch. Yes, I did buy them from a really cute place called Boulette's Larder at the Ferry Plaza market. It smelled like dried lime and looked like walnuts. I am trying to figure out how to use them...

[NulloModo]

Hmmm... I once found something like that in a brown paper bag above my refrigerator. I believe they had started out as regular limes about a year before placed up there to ripen...

[rgruby]

I found two at a food shop in San Francisco?  They look like light colored nutmegs, but what are they?  How are they used in cooking?

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How big are these? What does the skin look like - is it about the size of a ping pong ball, and relatively smooth? Have you cracked one open to see what it looks like inside?

It sounds like it may be what I have seen labelled here as dried lime. If so, they can be added to something like a braised lamb stew. A local Persian place near me does just that, and after long slow cooking in the stew they soften and the whole thing becomes edible. I found them quite pungent and bitter - concentrated lime, but the sweetness seemed to have dissipated. They added a bit of flavour to the dish, but it was pretty subtle, and some citrus aroma, but not quite like fresh lime juice either. Muskier or something. I recently added a couple to a lamb stew I did, but I took them out before I served it. I'm new to them too, and made the stew before I ate at the Persian place.

A quick look in New Food of Life, an Iranian cookbook (and excellent by the way) refers to limu-omani as dried Persian lime, and has a recipe for dried lime powder.

I think you've come across dried limes.

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[helenas]

I made a black peas curry from Maddhur Jaffrey's Curry bible with black limes, but the recipe calls for just internals of the lime - the shell is discarded.

The taste is quite interesting and not that subtle at all.

[Bond Girl]

It does look like a ping pong ball wioth very smopoth skin. I was decidiing on whether to use it for savoury or sweet, I guess you just made up my mind.

[Schneier]

I just bought two packages of these home from Bahrain. They were labeled "black lemons."

I was going to use them in a mild shrimp curry, although the lamb stew idea sounds pretty good.

Bruce

[andiesenji]

Here is a recipe that works quite well.

You have to break the limes up and grind them to a powder in a spice grinder.

Lamb stew, Persian

I am not that fond of lamb. I substitute goat meat for the lamb. Goat is much sweeter than lamb, even when it is older.

Edited April 17, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[persiancook]

Here is a recipe that works quite well.

You have to break the limes up and grind them to a powder in a spice grinder. 

Lamb stew, Persian

I am not that fond of lamb.  I substitute goat meat for the lamb.  Goat is much sweeter than lamb, even when it is older.

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I usually poke holes in the limes with a fork instead of grinding them to a powder. The powder gives a dark tint to the sauce, which I would rather avoid. The whole limes make for a more dramatic presentation as well, and allow each diner to choose the sourness level.

We also use them in another Persian stew (khoreshsteh ghimeh) which is made with beef or lamb, yellow split peas, and tomatoes. I would be happy to send you a simple recipe.

[Bond Girl]

Persiancook, please share the recipe. That would be fascinating to see.

[persiancook]

Here goes. It is popular with all of my friends, regardless of nationality. "Khoresht" is our version of a curry; a dish with legumes and/or vegetables and meat. We always serve it with rice. "Ghimeh" means minced, and refers to the small cubes of meat in the dish.

The recipe is actually very simple. It may look difficult at a glance, but that is only due to the fact that I tried to include every detail.

I have found the best results by using a slow cooker or Le Creuset dutch oven. It is an ideal dish for a big dinner party, as it does not require close supervision, and can be prepared in advance. You can also alter the meat to legume ratio to make it more economical. Substituting TVP for the meat will give you a very nice vegetarian version.

Khoreshteh ghimeh (Persian split-pea stew)

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Serves 6-8

1 medium onion, diced

2 Tbsp. canola or mild olive oil (more if you can afford the calories)

1 lb. boneless beef or lamb (more authentic), all fat removed, cut into 0.5 inch cubes

1.5 Tbsp. Iranian meat spice (or 1 tsp. cinnamon, 2 tsp. ground coriander, pinch of grated nutmeg)*

1 tsp. turmeric

1 bay leaf

Generous sprinkling of black pepper

Pinch of cayenne **

1 in. piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated**

1 clove garlic, minced**

2 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice (lime is more authentic)

1.25 c. yellow split peas (chana dal), rinsed, DO NOT SOAK THEM***

3-4 black limes (leemoo ammani), rinsed

2 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice (optional)

Pinch of saffron, ground and soaked in 1 Tbsp. boiling water (optional)

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 can whole peeled tomatoes, drained, seeded, and diced

1 potato, julienned (optional garnish)

1. Brown the onions in oil until they turn a deep golden color. Add the meat and all spices, except for ginger. Brown the meat well, then add ginger and garlic and brown for another minute. Add the lime juice and enough water to cover the meat by two inches, bring to a boil, then simmer until the meat is fork tender.

The only essential ingredients in this step are the meat and onions; the spices can be omitted to taste.

2. Add the split peas, and continue simmering until they are tender, but still maintain their shape. Overcooking them will really ruin the dish.

3. Poke several holes in the black limes, and drop them into the pot. If you like your food sour, add the extra lemon juice. I would omit it the first time around until you find out how you like the dried limes.

4. Add salt to taste.

5. Add the saffron, tomato paste, and tomatoes, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. You may need to simmer the dish uncovered if it has too much liquid at this stage. The ideal consistency is that of a thick curry.

6. If desired, fry the potatoes, season them with salt and pepper, and use as a garnish.

7. Serve over steamed basmati rice (garnished with butter and saffron).

Slow cooker variation: Transfer the meat to a slow cooker after browning, add the lemon juice and enough water to cover by an inch, and cook on high until fork tender. Every other step is the same, but the final simmer will be longer.

Variation: add fried eggplant slices during step 5.

* I get mine from Iran, but this seems to be an equivalent: http://sadaf.com/store/product56.html

You can also substitute a mild curry powder.

**You will rarely see these ingredients in an authentic khoresht. My husband is Pakistani, and I found them to be a great addition.

*** I have had much better luck with chana dal from an Indian or Iranian store. The ones sold by regular supermarkets cook to quickly and turn to mush. For this dish, you need the slow cooking variety that keeps its shape, for example: http://sadaf.com/store/product255.html